Hatton Locks on the Grand Union Canal Fact File

There are 21 locks at Hatton!

Boaters call it ‘The Stairway to Heaven’ Photo: Tim Gainey / Alamy Stock Photo

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Canal & River Trust – Explorers @CRTExplorers canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers Why were Hatton Locks built? Delivering the goods Ships from all over In 1799, a new canal from Warwick to the world brought raw Birmingham was opened. It was part of materials such as spices, a chain of canals joining the industrial tea and sugar to London. Midlands to London. Warwick is at the bottom of a valley so 21 locks were Then goods were loaded built to carry the boats up the hill. on to canal boats and delivered to factories in Birmingham. How locks work Locks are like staircases. They carry boats up and down hills.

1 Boats go into the lock through gates. The gates then close behind them.

2 Water is let into the lock by raising ‘paddles’ which control 1 the flow of water into the lock.

3 As the water level rises, the boat floats up with it. When the water is at the same height as the next stretch of the canal, the gates are opened and the 2 boat moves out.

Paddle power Unlike the paddle gears on most other locks, the mechanism at Hatton Locks 3 is inside the paddle itself. Illustrated by Tony Kerins

2 canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers Canals v roads and rail The Grand Union Canal runs from By the 1930s, it was quicker and London to Birmingham. cheaper to move bulky goods by road It’s 137 miles long or rail. The canal companies wanted with 166 locks to stop lorries and goods trains taking their trade. So all the companies who owned the canals between London and Birmingham united and became the Grand Union Canal Company.

New locks The canal from London to Napton Narrowboats are 2 had been built as a wide canal and metres/7 feet wide. used by barges (wide boats). The When the locks were canal from Napton to Birmingham widened one barge was built as a narrow canal or two narrowboats and used by narrowboats. So all alongside each other the locks between Napton and could fit in the locks. Birmingham were made wider to take bigger boats.

Bigger boats meant bigger loads – and more money!

Two narrowboats in a wide lock

3 canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers Hatton Locks on the The Grand Union Canal

Hatton Locks

4 canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers Grand opening

When the new locks at Hatton were finished, theDuke of Kent opened them on 30 Oct 1934. After that, the duke and special guests went off for a six course meal at Shire Hall in Warwick! When the new locks were opened, the lock keeper, Dennis Atkins, held the ribbon for the duke to cut

More trade Although the new wide locks increased The Grand Union Canal trade on the canal, it became even Company got important quicker to deliver goods by road and new work. Iron and rail. But in the Second World War, the steel were imported into canal became an important route for London and delivered to supplying materials to Birmingham Birmingham. Cement was to make weapons. Boats made the delivered from Southam. return trip to London loaded with coal.

Hatton Locks today

Today, Hatton Locks After the Second World is busy with pleasure War, motorways were built boats. Walkers taking even more trade. The and cyclists use canal was used less and the towpath where less for commercial goods. horses once plodded Most working boats stopped up and down. running in the 1970s.

5 canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers Things to look out for Hatton Locks The new wide locks is a great place to Look for the new locks built in stop, relax and spot concrete alongside the old narrow these things by the locks built in brick. waterside

The ‘signal’ box The stables The tall building in the In the days before boats were maintenance yard was once the driven first bysteam and then office where thetoll clerk collected diesel, horses pulled boats money (tolls) paid to the canal along. Stables were built to rest, company for using the canal. The groom, water and feed the horses toll clerk could keep a beady eye overnight. The stables at Hatton are on boats coming and going. now a café but you can still see the original style of the stable doors, windows and some fittings inside.

It’s called the signal box because it was copied from the design of a railway signal box

Hatton Maintenance Yard This is where carpenters and blacksmiths once made and repaired lock gates. It is now Canal & River Trust Office. If you’ve enjoyed learning Side ponds about Hatton Locks Water is very precious at Hatton why not log on to because the canal climbs a canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers hill. Extra water is stored in side and download Hatton Locks ponds alongside the locks. The Trail and the Grand Union side ponds attract loads of Canal Fact File? wildlife including waterbirds and brightly coloured damselflies.

Book a FREE trip for your school or group to Fradley Junction, led by our fantastic team of Explorers Education Volunteers! Visit canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers to find out more

Always remember to stay SAFE near water – Stay Away From Edge

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